Traveling, training, thinking, talking, typing

Someone PLEASE remind me next time it rains that the Greenway is not the best choice for a bike ride!!

high water at the rapids

I had a big 50-miler to do today, so I started out early – and it was COLD this morning! I had on my usual smashing outfit to brave the cold, but it warmed up beautifully by the time I finished. The riverside Greenway is so wonderful, and I’m so proud of Murfreesboro for having seen the need and potential and responded to it, but seriously? Check this out:

oh yes, I most certainly did...

This was along the newest section out toward Cason Lane, and this picture is a few minutes later:

Question my judgement, but do NOT question my commitment!!

That’s my sock I’m wringing out on the left side of the picture – the water completely covered my ankles, soaked the legs of my pants – keep in mind it was about 37 degrees out there this morning! So after 80k, all on the Greenway, this is what my gear looked like:

and the bike looked even worse!

By the time I finished, as I said, it had warmed up nicely, and I took a post-ride stroll into the river – I strongly advocate this to all my running clients – cooling one’s legs down after a run or ride greatly reduces inflammation and speeds recovery.

evidence of practicing what I preach - thigh deep smack in the in cold water!

I’ve decided to leave my bike computer on kilometers through the race – NZ uses k’s and they don’t mark the bike or the race course in miles. So from here on out I’ll be training in kilometers – I kinda liked it today – they’re smaller than miles! (Don’t burst my bubble by trying to convince me it’s the same distance overall – I like my delusion.) From Thompson Lane to Gen Bragg to the Battlefield to the new section by the Medical Center back on the Greenway through Old Fort Park, out the new stretch to the dead end at the 99 bridge and back to Greenway to Cannonsburgh is 25k. (15.5 miles according to my handi-dandi iPod conversion app). If you take the Greenway straight back to Thompson Lane it brings the total to 32k. I did this loop twice, and added in about 5 loops around the “criterion” at the Battlefield to make the whole 80k.

One last picture:

You can't see how unbelievably messy the house is - but the bike gets cleaned!

Huge day tomorrow – 120k ride/14k run (75/9 miles for you Yanks); Jesse and I are going to the Natchez Trace for the ride – he said he’d be really supportive during the run by going to get something to eat while I ran AND he’s not committing to the full 75 miles…but I get it – HE’S not training for an Ironman.

iPod is in dire need of rehab – got one song this morning before it died – gotta make a trip to the MAC store in Nashville. That one song was an ABBA song, but I don’t remember which one.